KOTA KINABALU: Parti Warisan Sabah (WARISAN) president Datuk Seri Panglima Mohd Shafie Apdal urges the people of this state to reject extremist and racist beliefs.
He said that it is crucial for people of various races, ethnicities, and religions in this country to live in harmony.
“We need to reject groups that do not respect the spirit of unity,” he said in his speech at the WARISAN Kota Kinabalu Division Chinese New Year Celebration here on Friday night.
He said that the unity achieved in this country, especially in the state of Sabah, should be based on cooperation and tolerance among each other.
He emphasised that just because a certain group is in the majority does not mean they should dominate and affect other groups.
“We must share the benefits together, and we must also respect every celebration observed by every layer of society in Malaysia,” he said.
Shafie, who is also the former Sabah chief minister, said that the people of Sabah need to be aware and rise once again to voice the interests of this state.
Furthermore, he said that the people are facing high costs of living, and this issue needs to be addressed promptly.
“It is not enough to just talk about the high cost of living without taking action to solve this problem for the overall benefit of the people,” he said.
Shafie mentioned that major celebrations like the Chinese New Year should be held more in the future in an effort to preserve the traditional characteristics of the Chinese community.
Also present were Warisan Vice President Datuk Jaujan Sambakong, Datuk Junz Wong, Acting Youth Chief Wira Terrence Au, Dr. Chong Eng Leong, Acting Women Chief Norfaizah Chua, and Datin Seri Shuryani Dato Shuaib.
